Health Unions Accuse Nairobi and Marsabit Governors of Ignoring Deepening Healthcare Crisis
Health union leaders speaking in Nairobi during a joint press briefing, accusing Nairobi and Marsabit county governments of failing to resolve the ongoing healthcare workers’ strike that has disrupted services on 25th Feb 2025.
Health workers drawn from several unions have faulted Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja and Marsabit Governor Mohamud Mohamed Ali for allegedly failing to resolve an escalating healthcare crisis that has crippled services in both counties.
Speaking during a joint press briefing in Nairobi on yesterday, leaders from the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO), Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN), Kenya Environmental and Public Health Officers Union (KEPHU), Kenya National Union of Medical Laboratory Officers (KNUMLO), the Kenya Union of Nutritionists and Dieticians, and pharmaceutical technologists declared that public health systems in Nairobi and Marsabit have effectively ground to a halt.
Clinical officers in Nairobi are now in the 65th day of their strike, with other health workers having stayed off duty for more than 40 days. In Marsabit County, the disruption of health services has stretched to nearly four months, sparking fears over patient safety and deteriorating public health conditions.
Peterson Wachira, Chair of the Health Union Caucus and National Chair of KUCO, said essential services including immunization, maternal healthcare, laboratory testing and environmental health inspections have stalled completely.
“Our children in Nairobi and Marsabit are missing vital vaccines. Mothers are being forced to deliver at home,” Wachira stated.
He criticized what he termed misplaced priorities, noting that while leaders speak of seeking treatment abroad, residents in the capital city cannot access safe delivery services.
Union representatives attributed the prolonged strike to county governments’ failure to honour return-to-work agreements signed in 2024 and 2025.
Stephen Muthama, Nairobi branch chair of the clinical officers’ union, stressed that health workers are not demanding fresh negotiations but implementation of already signed agreements.
“We are not seeking new deals. We are simply asking the county to honour what was agreed,” Muthama said.
Eunice Mutindi, Nairobi branch chair of the nurses’ union, expressed frustration over stalled discussions despite several meetings held in 2025.
“We only want a clear implementation matrix. We are not backing down. Health facilities are barely functioning. Where are patients going? Are they dying at home?” she posed.
Union leaders described major facilities such as Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital, which typically serves over 2,000 patients daily, as nearly deserted, with patient numbers dropping to below 300.
“Wards are empty. Beds are unoccupied,” one official said.
Public health officers warned that the prolonged industrial action could increase the risk of disease outbreaks, particularly in Nairobi’s informal settlements.
John Musau, acting Secretary General of KEPHU, cautioned that the city remains highly vulnerable to cholera and other communicable diseases in the absence of active public health surveillance.
Leaders of the medical laboratory officers’ union also alleged that health workers in Marsabit have gone for three months without salaries, compounding the crisis.
“If you cannot effectively run your county, step aside for those who can,” said Sotipo Nicholas, National Chair of KNUMLO.
The Health Union Caucus maintained that its members will not resume duty until promotion letters are issued, medical cover restored, and all pending agreements fully implemented.
As the standoff persists, thousands of residents in Nairobi and Marsabit remain without access to comprehensive public healthcare services.
